Project Management process groups and knowledge areas are the core technical subject matters of the project management profession, and these processes, along with their individual inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs, bring the project to life. Ten PMBOK knowledge areas in Project Management are covered by the PMBOK 6th edition Guide.
What are the Project Management Knowledge Areas?
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Schedule Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Resource Management
- Project Communication Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Procurement Management
- Project Stakeholder Management
The PMBOK 6th Edition embraces 49 processes which are expanded from the earlier 47 processes. There are two knowledge areas that are renamed – Project Schedule Management which was earlier termed Project Time Management, and Project Resource Management which was previously called Project Human Resource Management. The earlier process called ‘Close Procurement has been deleted, and three new processes have been added to the PMBOK 6th edition, namely ‘Manage Project Knowledge,’ ‘Implement Risk Responses’, and ‘Control Resources.’
The 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas
1. Project Integration Management
The PMBOK knowledge area contains the tasks that withhold the overall project together and integrates the project into a unified whole. This particular PMBOK knowledge area touches on the five phases of the project – Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. Everything is covered under this phase, starting from scheduling tasks, purchasing tasks, replacing team members, addressing risks, and re-scheduling tasks.
The project integration management has seven processes included in it, which are:
- Develop Project Charter
- Develop Project Management Plan
- Direct and Manage Project Work
- Manage Project Knowledge
- Monitor and Control Project Work
- Perform Integrated Change Control
- Close Project or Phase
2. Project Scope Management
Project scope management involves the project scope, that is, the work that is included in the project. The process is all about ensuring that everyone concerned with the project is clear about what it aims at and includes. Scope changes and alters mostly the project itself, so the project boundaries must be well-defined from the beginning and are carefully monitored. Changes can occur at any point in time, but even the simplest of changes can have a lasting result on the outcome of the project.
The project scope management includes six processes:
- Plan Scope Management
- Collect Requirements
- Define Scope
- Create WBS
- Validate Scope
- Control Scope
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3. Project Schedule Management
Project schedule management is a process that refers to how the project manager manages his schedule for a particular project. It includes the time that is catered to complete each task about the project’s objectives with the desired skills, tools, and techniques. To become a successful project manager, one has to understand the activities of the project clearly and should possess the necessary skills to plan, schedule, and control a project within its timeline. Apart from these skills, one must also utilize schedule management tools to help them analyze, measure, and assess their time management techniques.
There are six important processes in project schedule management, and they are:
- Plan Schedule Management
- Define Activities
- Sequence Activities
- Estimate Activity Duration
- Develop Schedule
- Control Schedule
4. Project Cost Management
Project cost management is the process concerned with planning and controlling the project’s budget. This process includes planning, budgeting, estimating, financing, funding, managing, and monitoring costs to ensure that the project is finished within the scheduled budget. It’s all about handling the project’s financial requirements. This phase covers and tracks the project’s total expenditure against the actual budget to ensure the project is moving on track and within the fixed budget.
The project cost management process are:
- Plan Cost Management
- Estimate Costs
- Determine Budget
- Control Costs
5. Project Quality Management
Project quality management is the main criterion when it comes to determining the value of a project. The project at all times is required to meet the standards which were originally defined for it. The bottom line is that the quality of the project has to meet the needs of the stakeholders.
This project quality management knowledge area in PMBOK covers three processes:
- Plan quality management
- Manage Quality
- Control Quality
6. Project Resource Management
In this method, it’s all about how the project manager runs the project team. Firstly, he has to understand what resources (people, equipment, facilities, funding) are required to complete the project at hand and then organize a team to execute the work involved. This method mainly concentrates on how the project is carried out utilizing the desired resources to complete a project activity.
The processes included in this PMBOK knowledge area are:
- Plan Resource Management
- Estimate Activity Resources
- Acquire Resources
- Develop Team
- Manage Team
- Control Resources
7. Project Communications Management
As the name suggests, it is mostly about communication. 80% of the project manager’s job is to do with communication. Project communication is what keeps all the team members on the same page; if there exists a gap in the communication level, the project can have a negative impact on the final product the project. Communication must occur between the project manager, his team members, and the stakeholders involved in the project.
This PMBOK knowledge area also includes three processes:
- Plan Communications Management
- Manage Communications
- Monitor Communications
There should be planning to determine what information needs to be communicated to all stakeholders involved in the project. This particular information must be readily available to the stakeholders and generated promptly. The project’s performance must be accounted for by reporting the status of the project and measuring and forecasting the project. Effective communication must be carried out through the stakeholders so that all the requirements are met, and the existing issues are promptly resolved.
8. Project Risk Management
Initially, in the project risk management process, the project manager should conduct risk management work and then identify and analyze risks; later, he/she should develop a risk response plan, which will control risks on an ongoing basis. These methods are introduced one by one to understand and assess the risks related to the project. It all depends on how one performs quantitative and qualitative risk assessments.
There are seven project management processes involved in the risk management knowledge area in PMBOK:
- Plan Risk Management
- Identify Risks
- Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
- Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
- Plan Risk Responses
- Implement Risk Responses
- Monitor Risks
9. Project Procurement Management
The procurement management process isn’t something that the project manager has to do on all projects, but it is quite common. This knowledge area relates to purchasing or acquiring products, services, or results from outside the project team. This project knowledge area keeps track of all the project procurement and supplier work starting from planning purchases, and involvement in the surrendering and acquiring process to executing the task of the supplier. And ultimately, closing the contract when the project reaches its conclusion.
Project Procurement Management processes include the following:
- Plan Procurement Management
- Conduct Procurement’s
- Control Procurement’s
10. Project Stakeholder Management
This is the last knowledge area in the PMBOK 6th edition. Project stakeholders play an important role in determining the success and failure of a project. Getting stakeholders to take part in the project right from the beginning is crucial because they are the ones who decide on what changes will meet their requirements. If the project manager fails to involve them at the initial stage, the changes set forth by the stakeholders at a later stage will hamper the quality and value of the project.
The four processes involved in Project Stakeholder Management:
- Identifying Stakeholders
- Plan Stakeholder Engagement
- Manage Stakeholder Engagement
- Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
Conclusion
These project management knowledge areas cover a lot of ground. These have one or more processes belonging to the five project management process groups. When the project manager is well aware of all the project management knowledge areas, they can execute a project more efficiently and productively. The skills acquired by understanding these knowledge areas will assist the project manager in avoiding crisis and scope deviation and enable the project manager to make proactive decisions. So, once the project manager thoroughly understands the concepts of knowledge areas, they become proficient at managing any given project and the people involved. So, give yourself a chance to master project management with PMP certification training and move ahead in your project management career with advanced skills to tackle challenges.
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Glossary
- Integration Management: Coordinating all aspects of a project, including scope, schedule, budget, and resources.
- Scope Management: Defining and controlling the project’s objectives and deliverables.
- Time Management: The process of planning, scheduling, and controlling the project’s timeline.
- Cost Management: The process of planning, estimating, and controlling project costs.
- Quality Management: Ensuring that project deliverables meet the specified quality standards.
- Resource Management: Managing the project’s human, financial, and material resources.
- Communication Management: The planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling of project communications.
- Risk Management: Identifying, analyzing, and mitigating project risks.
- Procurement Management: The planning, managing, and controlling of project procurement.
- Stakeholder Management: Identifying, analyzing, and managing the project’s stakeholders and their interests.
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